Method and apparatus for spinning sliver

ABSTRACT

On its way to a spinning chamber a sliver is opened out to divide it up into individual fibers and is then caused to pass along a path with two parts placed at an angle to each other. Owing to the sudden change in direction as the fibers pass from one part to the other dirt particles, which are denser than the fibers, are thrown out by centrifugal force and leave the fibers through a separating opening.

United States Patent [1 1 Landwehrkamp et al.

[ 1 Mar. 19, 1974 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SPINNING SLIVER [75]Inventors: Hans Landwehrka'mp; Franz Schreyer, both of lngolstadt,

Germany; Adolf Schiltknecht, Winterthur, Switzerland [73] Assignee:Schubert Salzer Maschinenfabrik Aktiengesellschaft, lngolstadt, Germany22 Filed: Mar. 9, 1970 211 Appl. No.: 17,496

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 20, 1969 Germany 1914115Apr. 30, 1969 Germany 1922078 52 u.s.c1 57/58.89,57/58.95,57/56,

57/156 51 im. CL... D0lh 7/02, D01 g 15 00, D01 g 23/00 [58] FieldofSearch ..57/58.89-5B.9S;6;1'56

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,339,359 9/1967 Ripka eta1. 57/5889 3,360,918 1/1968 Doudlebsky et a1 t 57/5895 3,439,488 4/1969Bucil et a1 57/5895 3,487,626 1/1970 Rajnoha et a1 57/5895 X FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 880,239 10/1961 Great Britain 57/5889 PrimaryExaminerDonald E. Watkins Attorney, Agent, or Firm-R0bert W. Beach [57]ABSTRACT On its way to a spinning chamber a sliver is opened out todivide it up into individual fibers and is then caused to pass along apath with two parts placed at an angle to each other. Owing to thesudden change in direction as the fibers pass from one part to the otherdirt particles, which are denser than the fibers, are thrown out bycentrifugal force and leave the fibers through a separating opening.

30 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures PATENTEUHAR 19 1914 I 3797.218

7 sum 1 OF 9 I N V EN TORS HAM 5 [ANDh/E/lF/f/IMP JTIvP/VE 1PAIENTEHMAMB 1974 3,797,218

\ sum 7 OF 9 LLK II METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SPINNING SLIVER The presentinvention relates to the spinning of sliver using a spinning chamber andmore particularly to a method in which the sliver to be spun is fed tothe spinning chamber through a feeding and opening device so that itarrives in the chamber as individual fibers for removal of dirtparticles. The invention also relates to various forms of apparatus forcarrying out this method. The term sliver is intended to mean a strandof loosely connected fibers which are capable of being opened out forfeeding to the spinning chamber.

For the so-called open end spinning method it is necessary to open outthe sliver and supply its fibers to the spinning chamber in a conditionin which they are as nearly as possible separate from one another sothat the yarn can be formed in the spinning chamber. For this purposeuse can be made of rotating rollers with needles or other fiber engagingprojections (see German Pat. specification No. 1,11 1,549 and Swiss Pat.specification No. 453,976) or a drafting device (see German Pat.specification No. 1,170,841). It has been found that the open endspinning process is extremely sensitive to the degree of cleanliness ofthe supplied fiber material. Dirt such as husks or neps of fiber notonly leads to deposits in the spinning apparatus being formed but causesubstantial interference with the spinning process owing to yarnbreakages. It is therefore necessary to arrange for the preparationprocess for the production of sliver to be spun in the open end spinningprocess to bring about a particularly thorough cleaning. If a particulardegree of cleanliness of the sliver is not achieved, problems of theabove-mentioned type occur which make the open end spinning processeconomically unsuitable for such materials (Geissler, DeutscheTextiltechnik 1967/ l 2, pages 751 to 755). On the other hand there areeconomic and technical limitations regarding more intensive cleaning ofthe fiber material during preparation for spinning.

One object of the invention is to provide an open end spinning apparatuswhich is capable of processing fiber material to a certain degree ofcleanliness economically. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a cleaning process inwhich the fibers of the sliver to be used for spinning are separatedfrom each other.

The present invention consists in a method for spinning a sliver in aspinning chamber, comprising opening the sliver and feeding it in theform of individual fibers to the spinning chamber, the fibers of thesliver passing to the spinning chamber along a path having two partswhich are set at an angle to each other so as to produce a change indirection of the movment of the fibers and to throw out dirt particlesthrough a separating opening adjacent to the adjacent ends of the twoparts of the path.

In this manner the fact that the fibers are substantially separated soas to be divided up individually is exploited to bring about asuccessful separation of the dirt particles from the fibers, which inprior operations have not been removed.

In accordance with a preferred feature of the invention an air currentis introduced into the fibers opposite to the direction of movement ofthe dirt particles out of the fibers to stop fibers from passing outthrough the separating opening and occasioning loss of fibers.

In accordance with a still further preferred feature of the inventionthe transport roller with fiber-engaging projections which serve forseparating the sliver into individual fibers is arranged to rotate afterspinning in the spinning chamber is to be discontinued, and the spinningchamber slows down, and fibers are removed through the openings insteadof being fed into the spinning chamber.

The present invention also resides in an apparatus for processingtextile fibers comprising means for conveying and opening up theindividual fibers, a spinning chamber arranged to receive the opened upfibers from the conveying means, the conveying means being arranged topass the fibers along a path with two portions at an angle to each otherfor causing the fibers to undergo a change in direction on passingthrough one part of the path to the next part, a dirt-discharge openingbeing provided at adjacent ends of the two parts of the path fordischarge of dirt from the fibers, and means defining a separating edgewhich defines one side of the dirt-discharge opening. Thereforecentrifugal forces and the resistance of the air are used to bring aboutan effective removal of dirt. The intensity of cleaning is influenced bythe angle which a radius of the roller drum, running so as to touch theedge, makes with a radially outer face of the means defining the edge.This angle should be at least 30. In order to adjust the apparatus tosuit different types of material to be spun the distance of theseparating edge from the roller can be made adjustable.

However, separation of dirt can be brought about also in the case of afeeding and opening up conveying means without a rotating needle idleror like roller. 1f the opening up of the fiber sliver is carried out bymeans of a drafting device, duct means can be provided defining the twoparts of the path which leads from the drafting device to the chamber,the upstream and the downstream path parts having the separating edgearranged adjacent to their adjacent ends. The opening can be arranged inan extension of the upstream part of the supply duct.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention a connecting ductis arranged to form an extension of the upstream path part.

Means can be provided defining an additional air supply duct which opensinto the path upstream from the dirt discharge opening. A supplementalair supply duct can be formed by an extension of the downstream duct.

Each of the two air supply ducts is connected with the atmosphere or canbe connected with an air supply source such as a blower. For regulatingand adapting the separation procedure to meet requirements the airsupply duct is preferably arranged so that it can be partiallyor-completely closed.

In order to bring about a still better adaptation of the separationprocess in order to suit fibrous material to be spun and be able totransport the dirt removed without interfering with spinning, a movableclosing part can be provided to block the opening. The closing part canbe moved into a position so as to uncover or to block the opening. Thusas required the action of the separating arrangement can be interrupted.Preferably the closing part is arranged so that it can be moved into atleast one intermediate position between the open and closed position ofthe opening so that the intensity of dirt removal can be set in order tobe in agreemenet with the requirements of the fibrous material which isto be spun. In order to prevent any influence of the separating meanswhen it is not required in the case of an apparatus operating with thehigh-speed roller provided with needles or other fiber-engagingprojections, the closing part has a side facing the roller which forms acontinuation of the inner profile of the housing of the roller.

A particularly convenient form of the invention is arrived at when theclosing part is arranged at the end of a two-armed lever which pivotsabout an intermediate fulcrum point and whose free end is connected witha control cam for producing the pivoting movement. In accordance with afurther embodiment of the invention, in which the separating means ofseveral spinning units are connected with a common collecting duct, thewall of the collecting duct supports the closing parts arranged inindividual openings in it and the ducts can be displaced, for instance,slid or swung, for actuating the closing parts.

In accordance with a still further feature of the invention in order toavoid interference with the spinning process by the removal of dirt, thedirt is removed from the collecting duct after the separating openingshave been closed and the openings are only uncovered again after dirtremoval has been completed.

Further details of the invention are now described with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a section through a sliver spinning device according to theinvention in section.

FIG. 2 is a detail section showing a particular construction of theseparating edge.

FIG. 3 is a detail section showing a further construction of theseparating edge.

FIG. 4 is a section through a particular form of separating device.

FIG. 5 is a section through a further embodiment of the separatingdevice in accordance with the invention for fiber supply and openingwithout a needle roller or a spiked roller.

FIG. 6 is a section through a modification of the device shown in FIG.5.

FIG. 7 is a section through a further embodiment of a device inaccordance with the invention with an adjustable closing part for theseparating opening.

FIG. 8 is a section through a further embodiment of the invention with aclosing part which can be swung by means of a lever.

FIGS. 9 to 11 are sections through further embodiments of the inventionwith tilting and sliding collecting ducts, in section.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are sections through the device in accordance with theinvention in the case of a spinning device with a cleaning deviceadjacent to the supply duct leading to the spinning chamber.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, it willbe seen that a sliver S is fed by means of a feed cylinder 20, whichcooperates with a feed groove 21 in gripping the sliver, and the sliveris passed to an opening roller 2 which opens it up into individualfibers. Such opening rollers are provided with needles or another formof fiber-gripping surface, for instance spikes. From the supply positionZ the fibers F are transported by the roller 2 as far as afiber-removing position A, from which they pass through a supply duct 71to the spinning chamber 7. In the collecting groove of the spinningchamber 7 the fibers F are deposited in a fiber ring and withdrawn fromthe spinning chamber 7 by means of a draw-off device 72 as a spun yarnG.

The construction of the spinning chamber can be in various forms, whoseselection is not critical for the present invention. The chamber can,for instance, be a rotating spinning chamber as described in the SwissPatent specification No. 457,216, as a rotating funnel as described inthe German Pat. specification 1,142,535, as a spinning tube as describedin the German Pat. specification No. 1,062,153 or as any other form ofcollecting surface as described, for instance, in the German Patentspecification No. 1,130,741 or the British Pat. specification No.979,962.

The needle roller 2 is surrounded by a housing 10 whose wall 11 conformsto the periphery of the roll 2 and surrounds it with a narrow gap.Downstream from the supply position Z, that is to say in the directionof rotation of the roller 2, and upstream from the fiberremoval positionA there is a separating edge 3 on the housing wall 11. This edge definesa dirt-discharge opening 6 between the edge and the roller which servesfor the removal of husks and other dirt removed by the separating edge 3and is connected with a duct 12 which opens into a collecting space 5.The collecting space 5 is preferably arranged below the roller 2 so thatthe separated out material can fall away under the action of gravity.For removal of the separated matter the collecting space 5 is, forexample, in the form of a drawer which can be pulled out horizontally.

Instead of the collecting space 5 it is also possible to provide acommon collecting duct 50, 51, 53, and 57 common to a number of spinningdevices.

For production of an air current which moves in the opposite directionto that in which the separated material moves out of the dirt-dischargeopening 6, such opening is connected via the connection duct 12 with anair supply duct 4, which can, for example, open above the collectingspace 5 into the connecting duct 12. Air from the atmosphere can besucked by the spinning chamber 7 via the air supply duct 4 so that thereis an air current produced whose direction of flow is opposite to thatof the direction of movement of the separated materials. Such an aircurrent holds back fibers which might otherwise emerge through theopening 6 and passes them back behind the separating edge 3 so that nofiber losses occur. It naturally follows that this air current must flowat a certain well-defined rate so that the dirt particles, which wouldotherwise interfere with the spinning operation, are separated while thefibers remain on the roller 2. Generally for this purpose a suitabledimensioning of the air supply duct 4 is sufficient. However, this aircurrent can also be made adjustable for particular fiber materials or itcan be supplied with an air supply device such as a blower.

The separating edge 3 limits the opening 6 in the housing wall 11 in thedirection of rotation of the roller 2. If the radius r of the roller 2,passing through the separating edge 3, is.extended, the extended radiusr and the wall 36 of the opening which merges with the duct 12 formbetween them an angle a. This angle should have a value of at least 30or preferably more than 30. The size of this angle a has a veryimportant influence on the separation of dirt. If the angle a isdecreased so as to be below the value mentioned, the cleaning effect isvery considerably reduced.

The sliver S is drawn by the feed cylinder and the feed groove 21 andfirst passes to the supply position Z where the sliver S is engaged bythe roller 2 and individual fibers are combed out of the sliver andremoved from it by the fiber-engagin g means of the roller. Owing to therotation of the roller 2 fibers and the dirt particles between thefibers pass to the opening 6. At this position the dirt particles, whichare generally denser than the fibers, and therefore tend to be thrownoutwards more by centrifugal force towards the surface of thefiber-engaging means of the roller 2, are thrown through the opening 6in the housing wall 11 so that they are given the possibility ofbecoming separated from the roller. They are thrown out or stripped offby the stripping edge 3, which defines the downstream end or margin ofthe opening 6. The fibers are, however, owing to the action of the aircurrent introduced in a direction opposite to the direction of movementof the dirt particles, entrained further by the roller 2 as far as thefiber removal position A, where they enter the supply duct 71 owing tothe degree of vacuum existing in the spinning chamber 7.

It is important that the opening 6 and the separating edge 3 are notimmediately adjacent to the supply position Z or the removal position A,but are separated from them by a part of the housing wall 1 1, sinceotherwise the removal of dirt or the yarn quality would be unfavourablyinfluenced. Both for the subjection of the dirt to a centrifugal actionand also for the transfer of the fibers after the removal of dirt it isnecessary to provide a certain path along the housing wall 11. It hasbeen found extremely convenient to arrange the opening 6 approximatelyat the beginning of the second half of the path between the supplyposition Z and the removal position A.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the subject matter of the invention inwhich in the direction of fiber movement immediately upstream from theseparating opening 6 an additional or auxiliary air supply duct 43opens. The air supply duct 43 is separated from the separating opening 6by a wall 44 and supplies air which assists the air current introducedthrough the air supply duct 4.

In order to adapt the device to suit different types of fiber materialto be spun the distance between the separating edge 3 and the roller 2can be adjusted. As appears from FIG. 1, the opening wall 36 is in theform of a slide 31 whose edge adjacent to the roller 2 constitutes theseparating edge 3. The setting of the slide 31 in relation to the rollercan be carried out, for example, by means of a setting screw 32 oranotehr suitable manually adjusted device.

It is also possible to provide a remote or ganged control of separatingedges of a number of spinning devices, for example, using eccentrics orcams, which are arranged on a single shaft.

Various modifications are possible in the invention described. Thus theseparating edge 3 can also be arcuate or curved if the oepning 6 shouldbe rounded instead of being rectangular. Another form of the separatingedge is shown in FIG. 2 in which the wall 360 of the opening is curvedand the opening 6 makesan angle a with the separating edge 30. Owing tothe curvature of the wall 360 of the opening this angle changes inrelation to the connecting duct 12. In this manner the desireddeflection of the dirt particles into the collecting space 5 isachieved. In accordance with FIG. 3 (300) the separating edge can beflattened or as shown in FIG. 2 (30) it can be rounded in order to avoidfibers being caught and retained on it.

If several rollers with needles or other fiber engaging surfaces areprovided for opening the sliver, dirtremoving arrangements can beprovided on each roller or on only one of them.

If for the fiber supply and opening use is not made of rollers providedwith needles or other fiber-gripping surfaces, removal of dirt can bebrought about by placing the separation arrangement in the supply ductopening into the spinning chamber 7. In the spinning devices shown inFIGS. 5 and 6 the supply and opening up of the sliver S is carried outby a drafting device, in whcih the sliver S first passes to the supplyposition Z between the pair of draw-in rollers 22 and the drafting oropening rollers 23. In accordance with the construction of the draftingdevice it is also possible to use a greater number of drafting oropening rollers. From the opening rollers 23 the separated fibers-F atthe fiber removal position A are passed into the supply duct 73, 73' andso supplied to the spinning chamber 7 in an opened condition.

The supply duct 73, 73 is divided by a separating opening 61 into afirst part 73' and a second part 73. The separating opening 61 isconnected with a collecting space 5 and is defined on its side adjacentto the second part 73 of the supply duct by a separating edge 33. Asshown in FIG. 6 the supply duct 73, 73 is curved and preferably has at aposition adjacent to the separating opening 61 a flattenedcross-section, the separating edge 33 being arranged on the outer flatside of the supply duct 73', 73. The degree of efficiency of theseparating device is increased since the dirt particles have a shorterpath to travel before they reach the separating opening 61.

Preferably the opening 61 is adjoined by a connecting duct 13, formingan extension of the duct part 73 lying upstream from the separating edge33. The connecting duct 13 opens into the collecting space 5.

In order to introduce in this case as well an air current flowing in theopposite direction to the direction of dirt removal, an air supply duct4 is arranged above the collecting space 5. Additionally it is possibleto provide in the rear extension of the supply duct 73 opening into thespinning chamber an air supply duct 42 which assists in deflecting thecurrent of fibers necessary for dirt removal. Instead of the air supplyduct 42 it is also possible to provide such an additional air supplyduct 43 in accordance with FIG. 6 leading in the direction of fibertransport and placed immediately upstream from the separating opening 61from which it is separated by a wall 44. Air supply can be adjusted by aslide 40 or 41 and the air can simply be drawn from the atmosphere orcan be supplied by an air source such as a blower. In this manner theabove-described separation operation can be controlled and undesiredremoval of fibers can be checked.

The fibers F supplied from the drafting device to the fiber draw offposition A first run through the duct 73' and owing to the curvature ofthe supply duct 73 (in the case of the embodiment of FIG. 6) upstreamfrom the separating edge 33 undergo a change in direction before theypass into the spinning chamber. In the case of these embodiments of theinvention the fibers F are transported by the air current produced bythe degree of vacuum in the spinning chamber. The dirt particles betweenthe fibers F cannot properly participate in the change of the directionin the air current owing to their higher density and inertia and aretherefore thrown into the opening 61. Observations have shown that apart of the fibers arriving are thrown a few millimeters into theopening 61 but are then drawn back again owing to the action of the aircurrent arriving through air supply duct 4, above the separating edgeand into the supply duct 73. In this manner a separation of the fibersfrom the dirt particles occurs.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment the supply duct 73', 73 is notbent (see FIG. but has a sharp bend or angle at the separating opening61. Owing to this sudden change in direction a very satisfactoryseparation of the fibers from the dirt components is obtained.

If instead of the collecting space 5 a common collecting duct 50, 51,53, 57 is provided the supply of air can be made through it.

As has been shown such a separating device constitutes an unnecessaryinterference in fiber transport on the way from the feed or openingdevice to the spinning chamber in the case of the processing of cleanfiber materials, for example, combed cotton or synthetics, where dirtseparation is not necessary and in this case such processing cannotimprove the yarn quality. This interference leads to a reduction inquality in certain respects; it may, for example, lead to a reduction intensile strength and in the evenness of the yarn. Generally such aninterference with the spinning process is caused when the collected dirtparticles are removed pneumatically in the separating operation. Suchinterference may lead, for example, to thick and thin irregularitieswhich may be a cause of yarn breakage.

Therefore in accordance with a further feature of the invention aclosing part which can be moved as desired is provided for covering theopening 6 or 61 of the separating device. The closing part 8 (FIG. 7) isin the simplest embodiment constructed so as to be shifted by hand. Theside 82 of the closing part 8 is made to agree in shape with the housingwall 11 so that in the closed position 8' the wall 11 of the housing isnot interrupted in any way. If fiber material with a high shell contentis to be processed, the closing part 8 is moved into the open positionso that the separating device is fully operative.

In the case of the spinning of combed cotton, rayon staple fibers orsynthetics the fiber transport is unnecessarily interfered with if theseparating device is in the operational setting. This may lead, forexample, to a reduction in the strength of the yarn produced and in somecases to a reduction in the evenness of the yarn. In order to preventsuch an unfavourable effect on yarn quality, the closing part 8 is movedinto its closing position 8'. The fibers F removed from the fiber sliverS are therefore transported by the roller 2 from the supply position Zto the removal position A without the separating edge 3 being able tohave any effect on the fibers.

Intensive removal of dirt entails a considerable effect on fibertransport to the spinning chamber 7. In consequence a separation shouldonly be undertaken on such a scale that there is a favourable influenceon yam quality, as determined by the dirt content of the fiber materialto be spun. For low dirt contents or very coarse particles an attenuatedseparating action brought about by the separating device is sufficientso that there is less influence on the fiber transport. Consequently theseparating opening 6 is only opened sufficiently far as is required fora satisfactory spinning result. The closing part can for this purpose bebrought steplessly or non-steplessly into intermediate positions betweenthe opened and closed positions, in accordance with the dirt content ofthe fiber material.

In order to achieve the desired control of the closing part,particularly in the case of a number of spinning stations, it ispossible to adopt any one of a number of different forms of theinvention.

In the case of the form of the invention shown in FIG. 8 the closingpart 83 is arranged on the end of a twoarmed lever 84 which can pivotabout a pin 85. A spring 840, which presses against the free end of thedouble-armed lever 84 holds the closing part 83 in the closed position.If the opening 6 is to be uncovered and to be connected with thecollecting duct 51, a cam 842, operated by turning the shaft 841,presses against the free end of the two-armed lever 84, so that there isa movement of the closing part 83 against the pressure of the spring 840and the opening is uncovered. The closing part 83 is so constructed thatthere is a correspondence in the shape in the closed position both asregards the dirt-discharge opening 6 and as regards the collecting duct51. This construction has been found particularly convenient and is freefrom trouble through the deposit of dirt and fibers. The cam shaft 841can be used to operate any desired number of closing parts 83.

In the case of the embodiment in accordance with FIG. 9 a tubularcollecting duct is provided which can rotate about its axis. On theouter periphery of the collecting duct 50 a closing part 86 is arrangedwhich by a rotation of the collecting duct 50 is brought into an openposition or into the closed position 86.

Instead of a collecting duct in the form of a rotating tube, thecollecting duct can also be arranged to be mvoed along its axis orperpendicularly in relation to its axis so that an unblocking orblocking of the opening 6 is brought about. In FIG. 10 the upper wall ofthe collecting duct 53 is for this purpose constructed as the closingpart 54 and moreover has an opening corresponding to the opening 6. Inthe pushed-in position the closing part 54 closes the oepning. If thecollecting duct 53 is brought into the opened or unblocked position bylateral displacement using a linkage 55, the opening 6 is no longerblocked by the closing part 54 and beneath dirt-discharge opening 6there is the opening of the collecting duct 53 for receiving theseparated dirt particles. In this embodiment of the invention as well itis possible to move the closing part into various intermediatepositions.

In accordance with the embodiment shown in FIG. 11 the collecting duct57 can be shifted axially. In the position shown in the drawing thedirt-discharge opening 6 is unblocked so that separation of dirtparticles occurs. If, however, the collecting duct 57 is moved to theleft in terms of FIG. 11, the wall of the collecting duct 57 constructedin the form of the closing part 54 is moved into the opening 6 andblocks it.

In the case ofa high speed needle roller 2 or a roller equipped withother projections or the like for engaging fibers, of the spinningdevice, the separating device can also be used successfully when feed isinterrupted. In order to avoid the needle or the like roller 2continuing feeding fiber material into the spinning chamber 7,

after the feed is supposed to have been stopped owing to the inertia ofthe roller 2, after interruption of the feed superfluous fibers F aredrawn off through the separating opening 6 while the roller 2 slowsdown. Thus the fibers cannot pass into the spinning chamber 7. In thisrespect the suction effect can be controlled by an air supply duct 4which can be connected with a suction device, and/or by suitable openingor closing of the closing parts 8, 83, 86 or 54. The sucked-off fiberscan thus be drawn off either through the air supply duct 4 or throughthe collecting duct 50, 51, 53, 57 or the collecting space 5.

If the supply and opening of the sliver S is carried out by a draftingdevice, then in accordance with FIG. 12 the opening 61 can be closed bya closing part 88 partially or completely. This closing part 88 isconstructed in a simple manner, for example as a hand-operate slide.

In the case of the embodiment of FIG. 13 the closing part consists of arotary slide 89, which has an opening 890. In the shown position thelatter connects the supply duct 73 with the duct 73. Opposite theopening 890 there is an opening 891 which is connected with the opening61. In the extension of the supply duct 73, which opens into thespinning chamber 7, a tube connector 75 is provided which extends theclosing part 89.

This tube connector is provided with a recess or slot 892 along which alever 893, connected with the slide or closing part 89, can be moved. Inaccordance with the position of the rotary slide 89, which is actuatedby the handle or lever 892, or, if required, by a central operatingmeans (not shown), the opening 61 is completely or partially opened orclosed as is required for the removal of dirt by the openings 890 and891 provided in the rotary slide 89.

The tube connector can also serve as an air supply duct, an opening 77connected with the atmosphere being shut or opened in accordance withthe position of the rotary slide.

The removal of dirt collected in the collecting duct 50, 51, 53, 57 orthe collecting space is carried out preferably using compressed air orvacuum. It is also possible to operate with a mechanical device, forexample a conveyer belt moving in the duct which continuously removesthedirt. Such a device is, however, complicated in construction.

In the case of dirt removal by an air current it is to be noted that thespinning process may not be influenced by it though the collecting ductis connected via the dirt-discharge opening 6 or 61 with the spinningdevice. For this reason the removal of dirt is not continuous and isundertaken from time to time in such a manner that the dirt-dischargeopening 6 or 61 as the case may be, which connected with the collectingduct, closed when the removal of deposited dirt is to take place. It isonly after the removal of the dirt has been carried out that thedirt-discharge opening is unblocked again. In this manner the compressedair supply or vacuum induced air flow cannot have any effect on thespinning device. Since the pneumatic removal only requires a very shorttime, lasting a few seconds, the spinning procedure can proceed duringthis time without any difficulties occurring, even in those cases inwhich during removal of dirt no separation of dirt from the fibersoccurs.

The blocking and unblocking of the dirt-dischage opening is carried outwith the above-described means. The control can be automatic or manualso that in accordance with the quantity of dirt removed longer orshorter periods for the blocking of the oepning and removal of dirt canbe allowed.

The apparatus in accordance with the invention makes it possible toreduce the number of fiber breakages to a factor of ten at least andalso to process fiber material which has been 'pre-cleaned to a lesserextent. The degree of cleanliness of the yarn is substantiallyincreased.

What we claim is:

1. A method for spinning a sliver in a spinning cham ber, comprisingopening the sliver and feeding it in the form of individual fibers tothe spinning chamber, the fibers of the sliver passing to the spinningchamber along a path having two parts which are set at an angle to eachother so as to produce a change in direction of the movement of thefibers and to throw out dirt particles through a dirt-discharge openingadjacent to the adjacent ends of the two parts of the path.

2. A method in accordance with claim l, in which an air current isintroduced into the fibers in a direction opposite to the direction ofmovement of the dirt particles out of the fibers.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, in which a transport roller withfiber engaging projections and which serves for separating the sliverinto individual fibers continues to rotate after spinning in thespinningchamber is discontinued, and as the spinning chamber slows down fibersare removed through the dirtdischarge opening instead of being fed tothe spinning chamber.

4. An apparatus for processing textile fibers comprising means forconveying textile fiber material and opening up the fibers thereof, aspinning chamber arranged to receive the opened up fibers from saidmeans, said means being arranged to pass the fibers along a path withtwo portions at an angle to each other for causing the fibers to undergoa change in direction on passing through one part of the path to thenext part, a dirt-discharge opening being provided at adjacent ends ofthe two parts of the path for discharge of dirt from the fibers, andmeans defining a separating edge which defines one side of thedirt-discharge opening.

5. An apparatus in accordance with claim 4, in which the conveying saidopening means induces a high speed rotary roller provided withfiber-engaging projections on its surfaces, a casing surrounding theroller, the two parts of the path being defined by the casingsurrounding the roller and by the roller, and the separating edge beingplaced on the downstream side of the dirtdischarge opening in terms ofthe direction of rotation of the roller.

6. An apparatus in accordance with claim 5, in which a radius of theroller drawn so as to touch the separating edge, makes an angle of atleast 30 with a radially from the drafting device to including spinningchamber, the upstream and downstream path portions having the separatingedge arranged adjacent to their adjacent ends.

9. An apparatus in accordance with claim 8, in which the dirt-dischargeopening is arranged in an extension of the upstream part of the supplyduct.

10. An apparatus in accordance with claim 9, com prising a connectingduct arranged so as to form a continuation of the upstream path.

11. An apparatus in accordance with claim 4, and means defining an airsupply duct adjacent to the dirtdischarge opening.

12. An apparatus in accordance with claim 11, comprising an additionalair supply duct opening into the path upstream from the dirt-dischargeopening.

13. An apparatus in accordance with calim 4, in which the two pathportions include an upstream portion and a downstream portion, and asupplemental air supply duct formed by an extension of the downstreampath portion in the direction opposite to the direction of fiber flowthrough said downstream path portion.

14. An apparatus in accordance with claim 13, in which the air supplyduct is connected with the atmosphere.

15. An apparatus in accordance with claim 4, an air supply duct forsupplying air to the fiber path, and means for closing the air supplyduct to varying degrees.

16. An apparatus in accordance with claim 4, cmprising a closing partfor blocking the dirt-discharge opening.

17. An apparatus in accordance with claim 15, in which the closing partcan be brought into at least one intermediate position between positionsin which it blocks the dirt-discharge opening and in which it uncoversthe dirt-discharge opening.

18. An apparatus in accordance with claim 16, in which the conveyingmeans is a roller and the closing part is adjacent to it, the portion ofthe closing part nearest the roller conforming to the shape ofa housingsurrounding the roller.

19. An apparatus in accordance with claim 18, comprising a pivotedtwo-armed lever, the closing part being carried by one arm of saidlever, and a control cam for engaging the other arm of said lever forturning said lever.

20. An assembly comprising several spinning apparatuses in accordancewith claim 4, and means for adjusting conjointly the size of theindividual dirt-discharge openings of the several spinning apparatuses.

21. An apparatus for processing textile fibers comprising means forconveying textile fiber material and opening up the fibers thereof, anda spinning chamber arranged to receive the opened fibers from saidmeans, said means defining a path along which the textile fiber materialpasses, said path having an opening therein through which impuritiesfrom said material are discharged.

22. A method in accordance with claim 1, including closing thedirt-discharge opening, removing pneumatically dirt particles separatedfrom the sliver and again opening the dirt-discharge opening after theremoval of the dirt particles has been completed.

23. An apparatus for processing textile fibers comprising fiber openingroller means for opening up the individual fibers, conveying means forconveying fibers along an arcuate path adjacent to the periphery of saidfiber opening roller means, a spinning chamber arranged to receive theopened up fibers from the discharge end of said conveying means path,and a dirtdischarge opening in said conveying means adjacent to saidfiber opening roller at a location in advance of the discharge end ofsaid conveying means path for discharge of dirt separated from thefibers moving along said path.

24. A method for removing impurities and similar material from staplefibers for ringless spinning in spinning units including a fiber openingroller and a rotary underpressure spinning chamber, characterized inthat the impurities are ejected from the fibers through a dischargeopening after having been contacted by the fiber opening roller by theeffect of the acceleration imparted to the impurities by their contactwith the fiber opening roller.

25. An apparatus for removing impurities from staple fibers for ringlessspinning in spinning units, comprising a hollow body, a fiber openingroller rotatable in said hollow body, sai hollow body having a supplypassage through which unopened fibers are supplied to said openingroller, and a spinning chamber, said hollow body having an opened fiberdischarge passage through which opened fibers pass from said openingroller to said spinning chamber, and said hollow body having animpurities discharge passage between said fiber supply passage and saidopened fiber discharge passage for discharge therethrough of impuritiesfrom fiber being opened by said opening roller.

26. The apparatus defined in claim 25, in which the impurities dischargepassage extends through the hollow body generally tangentially to theperiphery of the fiber opening roller.

27. The apparatus defined in claim 26, in which the hollow body includesa wall extending substantially tangentially to the periphery of thefiber opening roller, located so that the adjacent portion of the fiberopening roller periphery moves toward said wall and constituting a wallof the impurities discharge passage.

28. The apparatus defined in claim 25, in which the width of theimpurities discharge opening in a direction parallel to the axis ofrotation of the fiber opening roller is at least equal to the axialwidth of the periphery of the fiber opening roller.

29. The apparatus defined in claim 25, including an impuritiescollecting chamber for receiving impurities from the impuritiesdischarge passage, from which collecting chamber the impurities areremoved by suction.

30. An apparatus for processing textile fibers comprising fiber openingroller means for opening up the individual fibers, conveying means forconveying fibers along an arcuate path adjacent to the periphery of saidfiber opening roller means, a spinning chamber arranged to receive theopened up fibers from the discharge end of said conveying means path, animpurities discharge passage in said conveying means adjacent to saidfiber opening roller at a location in advance of the discharge end ofsaid conveying means path for discharge of dirt separated from thefibers moving along said path, and an impurities collecting chamber forreceiving impurities from said impurities discharge passage, from whichcollecting chamber the impurities are removed by suction.

jg 3g? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE 'OF CORRECTION Patent No.3,797,218 Dated March 19, 1974' Invent r(s) Hans Landnehrkamp, FranzSchreyer and.Adolf Schiltknecht It is certified that error appears inthe above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are herebycorrected as shown below:

Title page, column 1, name of assignee should read Schubert SalzerMaschinenfabrik Aktiengesellschaft Column 10, line 48, cancel "saidopening means induces" and insert and opening means includes--; line 57,insert a comma after the word "roller".

Column 11, line 1, cancel "including" and insert --the-; -line 2, cancel"the" and insert -inc1uding; line 7,

cancel "part of the supply duct" and insert --path portion of the ductmeans-; line 10, after "path" insert portion of the duct means--; line17, cancel "calim" and insert -claim; line 28, cancel "the" and insertsaid--; linev 33, cancel "15" and insert -l6-.

Column 12, line 22, cancel "sai" and insert said-.

Signed and sealed this 22nd day of October 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

McCOY M; GIBSON-JR. I c. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner ofPatents

1. A method for spinning a sliver in a spinning chamber, comprisingopening the sliver and feeding it in the form of individual fibers tothe spinning chamber, the fibers of the sliver passing to the spinningchamber along a path having two parts which are set at an angle to eachother so as to produce a change in direction of the movement of thefibers and to throw out dirt particles through a dirt-discharge openingadjacent to the adjacent ends of the two parts of the path.
 2. A methodin accordance with claim 1, in which an air current is introduced intothe fibers in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of thedirt particles out of the fibers.
 3. A method in accordance with claim1, in which a transport roller with fiber engaging projections and whichserves for separating the sliver into individual fibers continues torotate after spinning in the spinning chamber is discontinued, and asthe spinning chamber slows down fibers are removed through thedirt-discharge opening instead of being fed to the spinning chamber. 4.An apparatus for processing textile fibers comprising means forconveying textile fiber material and opening up the fibers thereof, aspinning chamber arranged to receive the opened up fibers from saidmeans, said means being arranged to pass the fibers along a path withtwo portions at an angle to each other for causing the fibers to undergoa change in direction on passing through one part of the path to thenext part, a dirt-discharge opening being provided at adjacent ends ofthe two parts of the path for discharge of dirt from the fibers, andmeans defining a separating edge which defines one side of thedirt-discharge opening.
 5. An apparatus in accordance with claim 4, inwhich the conveying said opening means induces a high speed rotaryroller provided with fiber-engaging projections on its surfaces, acasing surrounding the roller, the two parts of the path being definedby the casing surrounding the roller and by the roller, and theseparating edge being placed on the downstream side of thedirt-discharge opening in terms of the direction of rotation of theroller.
 6. An apparatus in accordance with claim 5, in which a radius ofthe roller drawn so as to touch the separating edge, makes an angle ofat least 30* with a radially outer face of the means defining theseparating edge, and adjacent to the separating edge.
 7. An apparatus inaccordance with claim 5, comprising means for adjusting the distance ofthe separating edge from the roller.
 8. An apparatus in accordance withclaim 4, the conveying and opening means including a drafting device foropening up the sliver into individual fibers, and duct means definingthe two parts of the path which leads from the drafting device toincluding spinning chamber, the upstream and downstream path portionshaving the separating edge arranged adjacent to their adjacenT ends. 9.An apparatus in accordance with claim 8, in which the dirt-dischargeopening is arranged in an extension of the upstream part of the supplyduct.
 10. An apparatus in accordance with claim 9, comprising aconnecting duct arranged so as to form a continuation of the upstreampath.
 11. An apparatus in accordance with claim 4, and means defining anair supply duct adjacent to the dirt-discharge opening.
 12. An apparatusin accordance with claim 11, comprising an additional air supply ductopening into the path upstream from the dirt-discharge opening.
 13. Anapparatus in accordance with calim 4, in which the two path portionsinclude an upstream portion and a downstream portion, and a supplementalair supply duct formed by an extension of the downstream path portion inthe direction opposite to the direction of fiber flow through saiddownstream path portion.
 14. An apparatus in accordance with claim 13,in which the air supply duct is connected with the atmosphere.
 15. Anapparatus in accordance with claim 4, an air supply duct for supplyingair to the fiber path, and means for closing the air supply duct tovarying degrees.
 16. An apparatus in accordance with claim 4, comprisinga closing part for blocking the dirt-discharge opening.
 17. An apparatusin accordance with claim 15, in which the closing part can be broughtinto at least one intermediate position between positions in which itblocks the dirt-discharge opening and in which it uncovers thedirt-discharge opening.
 18. An apparatus in accordance with claim 16, inwhich the conveying means is a roller and the closing part is adjacentto it, the portion of the closing part nearest the roller conforming tothe shape of a housing surrounding the roller.
 19. An apparatus inaccordance with claim 18, comprising a pivoted two-armed lever, theclosing part being carried by one arm of said lever, and a control camfor engaging the other arm of said lever for turning said lever.
 20. Anassembly comprising several spinning apparatuses in accordance withclaim 4, and means for adjusting conjointly the size of the individualdirt-discharge openings of the several spinning apparatuses.
 21. Anapparatus for processing textile fibers comprising means for conveyingtextile fiber material and opening up the fibers thereof, and a spinningchamber arranged to receive the opened fibers from said means, saidmeans defining a path along which the textile fiber material passes,said path having an opening therein through which impurities from saidmaterial are discharged.
 22. A method in accordance with claim 1,including closing the dirt-discharge opening, removing pneumaticallydirt particles separated from the sliver and again opening thedirt-discharge opening after the removal of the dirt particles has beencompleted.
 23. An apparatus for processing textile fibers comprisingfiber opening roller means for opening up the individual fibers,conveying means for conveying fibers along an arcuate path adjacent tothe periphery of said fiber opening roller means, a spinning chamberarranged to receive the opened up fibers from the discharge end of saidconveying means path, and a dirt-discharge opening in said conveyingmeans adjacent to said fiber opening roller at a location in advance ofthe discharge end of said conveying means path for discharge of dirtseparated from the fibers moving along said path.
 24. A method forremoving impurities and similar material from staple fibers for ringlessspinning in spinning units including a fiber opening roller and a rotaryunderpressure spinning chamber, characterized in that the impurities areejected from the fibers through a discharge opening after having beencontacted by the fiber opening roller by the effect of the accelerationimparted to the impurities by their contact with the fiber openingroller.
 25. An apparatus for removing impurities from staple fibers forringless spinning in spinning units, comprising a holloW body, a fiberopening roller rotatable in said hollow body, sai hollow body having asupply passage through which unopened fibers are supplied to saidopening roller, and a spinning chamber, said hollow body having anopened fiber discharge passage through which opened fibers pass fromsaid opening roller to said spinning chamber, and said hollow bodyhaving an impurities discharge passage between said fiber supply passageand said opened fiber discharge passage for discharge therethrough ofimpurities from fiber being opened by said opening roller.
 26. Theapparatus defined in claim 25, in which the impurities discharge passageextends through the hollow body generally tangentially to the peripheryof the fiber opening roller.
 27. The apparatus defined in claim 26, inwhich the hollow body includes a wall extending substantiallytangentially to the periphery of the fiber opening roller, located sothat the adjacent portion of the fiber opening roller periphery movestoward said wall and constituting a wall of the impurities dischargepassage.
 28. The apparatus defined in claim 25, in which the width ofthe impurities discharge opening in a direction parallel to the axis ofrotation of the fiber opening roller is at least equal to the axialwidth of the periphery of the fiber opening roller.
 29. The apparatusdefined in claim 25, including an impurities collecting chamber forreceiving impurities from the impurities discharge passage, from whichcollecting chamber the impurities are removed by suction.
 30. Anapparatus for processing textile fibers comprising fiber opening rollermeans for opening up the individual fibers, conveying means forconveying fibers along an arcuate path adjacent to the periphery of saidfiber opening roller means, a spinning chamber arranged to receive theopened up fibers from the discharge end of said conveying means path, animpurities discharge passage in said conveying means adjacent to saidfiber opening roller at a location in advance of the discharge end ofsaid conveying means path for discharge of dirt separated from thefibers moving along said path, and an impurities collecting chamber forreceiving impurities from said impurities discharge passage, from whichcollecting chamber the impurities are removed by suction.